Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation

In this story, Bell and Jen work in the school garden. Bell sings a song to help the plants grow. 

It is a Mi’gmaw custom to honour the sun. The sun provides heat and light, which nourish life on Earth. Mi’gmaq honour the sun with songs and ceremonies. 

How can you help plants grow? 

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4-7, for use in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.

Cedar School Decodables is divided into six sets, which increase in word count and complexity of sentence structure. Sing a Song is in Set 2 – Digraphs, and reviews ng and nk. Books in Set 2 have 60-80 words.  

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 and Set 2:

• consonants
• beginning and end blends
• short vowels
• digraphs
• a /o/
• s – /s/ and /z/
• -s suffix

Series Information
Welcome to Cedar School! Join Liv, Tom, Gus, and Bell as they learn on the land and explore Mi’gmaw teachings with their teacher, Miss Sam, and the school’s Mi’gmaw Elder, Jen. With charming illustrations and simple storylines, this decodable series engages students as they practise their reading skills. Each book includes a pre-reading review of non-decodable words, and many of the books introduce special words related to Indigenous teachings. Talking Together prompts facilitate discussions led by the reading teacher. 

Developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada, Cedar School Decodables is a series of 20 decodable books for young readers. Designed for students who have previously learned short vowel and consonant sounds, additional phonic skills are developed progressively throughout the series.

The series will be accompanied by Cedar School Decodables Teacher’s Guide and a series of four picture books, which will be available at a later date.

Additional Information
16 pages | 6.5” x 5.5” | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-643-4 

In this story, Jen takes the class on an adventure to harvest sweetgrass.

Sweetgrass is a traditional medicine plant for Mi’gmaq. The grass can be braided and given to friends and family. Mi’gmaq give thanks to the land before a harvest.

How can you give thanks to the land?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4-7, for use in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.

Cedar School Decodables is divided into six sets, which increase in word count and complexity of sentence structure. Smell the Sweetgrass is in Set 2 – Digraphs, and reviews the FLSZ spelling rule (ff, ll, ss, zz). Books in Set 2 have 60-80 words.

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 and Set 2:

• consonants
• beginning and end blends
• short vowels
• digraphs
• a /o/
• s – /s/ and /z/
• -s suffix

Series Information
Welcome to Cedar School! Join Liv, Tom, Gus, and Bell as they learn on the land and explore Mi’gmaw teachings with their teacher, Miss Sam, and the school’s Mi’gmaw Elder, Jen. With charming illustrations and simple storylines, this decodable series engages students as they practise their reading skills. Each book includes a pre-reading review of non-decodable words, and many of the books introduce special words related to Indigenous teachings. Talking Together prompts facilitate discussions led by the reading teacher. 

Developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada, Cedar School Decodables is a series of 20 decodable books for young readers. Designed for students who have previously learned short vowel and consonant sounds, additional phonic skills are developed progressively throughout the series.

The series will be accompanied by Cedar School Decodables Teacher’s Guide and a series of four picture books, which will be available at a later date.

Additional Information
16 pages | 6.5” x 5.5” | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-640-3

In this story, Jen shares a Mi’gmaw Creation Story. It explains how Mi’gmaq grew from the earth.

Mi’gmaq pass down knowledge and teachings through storytelling. Some stories are written with pictures instead of words. These pictures are called hieroglyphs.

Can you find the hieroglyph that means “lightning” in the book?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4-7, for use in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.

Cedar School Decodables is divided into six sets, which increase in word count and complexity of sentence structure. The Star World is in Set 6 – R-Controlled Vowels, and reviews ar, or, and ore. Books in Set 6 have 110-125 words.   

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 to Set 6: 

• consonants 

• beginning and end blends 

• short, long, and r-controlled vowels 

• digraphs 

• suffixes and ending spelling patterns 

• a /o/ 

• s – /s/ and /z/ 

• VC-CV, V/CV, VC/V, and compound words 

• possessives 

Series Information
Welcome to Cedar School! Join Liv, Tom, Gus, and Bell as they learn on the land and explore Mi’gmaw teachings with their teacher, Miss Sam, and the school’s Mi’gmaw Elder, Jen. With charming illustrations and simple storylines, this decodable series engages students as they practise their reading skills. Each book includes a pre-reading review of non-decodable words, and many of the books introduce special words related to Indigenous teachings. Talking Together prompts facilitate discussions led by the reading teacher. 

Developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada, Cedar School Decodables is a series of 20 decodable books for young readers. Designed for students who have previously learned short vowel and consonant sounds, additional phonic skills are developed progressively throughout the series.

The series will be accompanied by Cedar School Decodables Teacher’s Guide and a series of four picture books, which will be available at a later date.

Additional Information
16 pages | 6.5” x 5.5” | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-653-3

In this story, Tom shares his bicycle with Gus, but Gus is nervous about riding it. Will he be brave?

Community is important to Mi’gmaq, which is why Mi’gmaq care for and look after each other. One of the ways they do this is by being a good friend.

Can you think of a time when a friend helped you?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4-7, for use in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.

Cedar School Decodables is divided into six sets, which increase in word count and complexity of sentence structure. Time for a Bike Ride is in Set 3 – VCe, and reviews a_e and i_e. Books in Set 3 have 80-90 words.  

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 to Set 3: 

• consonants 

• beginning and end blends 

• short and long vowels 

• digraphs 

• a /o/ 

• s – /s/ and /z/ 

• -s and -es suffixes 

• possessives 

Series Information
Welcome to Cedar School! Join Liv, Tom, Gus, and Bell as they learn on the land and explore Mi’gmaw teachings with their teacher, Miss Sam, and the school’s Mi’gmaw Elder, Jen. With charming illustrations and simple storylines, this decodable series engages students as they practise their reading skills. Each book includes a pre-reading review of non-decodable words, and many of the books introduce special words related to Indigenous teachings. Talking Together prompts facilitate discussions led by the reading teacher. 

Developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada, Cedar School Decodables is a series of 20 decodable books for young readers. Designed for students who have previously learned short vowel and consonant sounds, additional phonic skills are developed progressively throughout the series.

The series will be accompanied by Cedar School Decodables Teacher’s Guide and a series of four picture books, which will be available at a later date.

Additional Information
16 pages | 6.5” x 5.5” | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-644-1

In this story, Gus and Tom are upset. Miss Sam helps them smudge to feel better.

Mi’gmaq burn sage and other traditional medicines to smudge. Smudging helps people let go of sadness and anger.

What do you do when you are feeling sad?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4-7, for use in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.

Cedar School Decodables is divided into six sets, which increase in word count and complexity of sentence structure. We Smudge is in Set 5 – Ending Spelling Patterns, and reviews -tch and -dge. Books in Set 5 have 100-110 words.  

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 to Set 5: 

• consonants 

• beginning and end blends 

• short and long vowels 

• digraphs 

• suffixes and ending spelling patterns 

• a /o/ 

• s – /s/ and /z/ 

• VC-CV, V/CV, VC/V, and compound words 

Series Information
Welcome to Cedar School! Join Liv, Tom, Gus, and Bell as they learn on the land and explore Mi’gmaw teachings with their teacher, Miss Sam, and the school’s Mi’gmaw Elder, Jen. With charming illustrations and simple storylines, this decodable series engages students as they practise their reading skills. Each book includes a pre-reading review of non-decodable words, and many of the books introduce special words related to Indigenous teachings. Talking Together prompts facilitate discussions led by the reading teacher. 

Developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada, Cedar School Decodables is a series of 20 decodable books for young readers. Designed for students who have previously learned short vowel and consonant sounds, additional phonic skills are developed progressively throughout the series.

The series will be accompanied by Cedar School Decodables Teacher’s Guide and a series of four picture books, which will be available at a later date.

Additional Information
16 pages | 6.5” x 5.5” | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-650-2

In this story, Miss Sam and the class are exploring the forest when they see an animal track on Cub Path! What animal made it?

Mi’gmaq use tracks to find animals in the forest. Mi’gmaq live in balance with the land and honour the animals that live on it.

Have you ever seen an animal track?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4-7, for use in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.

Cedar School Decodables is divided into six sets, which increase in word count and complexity of sentence structure. What Track Is This? is in Set 2 – Digraphs, and reviews ck, sh, and th (voiced and unvoiced). Books in Set 2 have 60-80 words. 

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 and Set 2:

• consonants
• beginning and end blends
• short vowels
• digraphs
• a /o/
• s – /s/ and /z/
• -s suffix

Series Information
Welcome to Cedar School! Join Liv, Tom, Gus, and Bell as they learn on the land and explore Mi’gmaw teachings with their teacher, Miss Sam, and the school’s Mi’gmaw Elder, Jen. With charming illustrations and simple storylines, this decodable series engages students as they practise their reading skills. Each book includes a pre-reading review of non-decodable words, and many of the books introduce special words related to Indigenous teachings. Talking Together prompts facilitate discussions led by the reading teacher. 

Developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada, Cedar School Decodables is a series of 20 decodable books for young readers. Designed for students who have previously learned short vowel and consonant sounds, additional phonic skills are developed progressively throughout the series.

The series will be accompanied by Cedar School Decodables Teacher’s Guide and a series of four picture books, which will be available at a later date.

Additional Information
16 pages | 6.5” x 5.5” | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-641-0

In this story, Jen and the class pick wild strawberries. Back at school, Jen makes strawberry jam.

Wild strawberries grow throughout Mi’gmaw territory. Mi’gmaq harvest berries and other plants for food and medicine.

Have you ever gone berry picking?

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4-7, for use in kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms.

Cedar School Decodables is divided into six sets, which increase in word count and complexity of sentence structure. Wild Strawberries is in Set 5 – Ending Spelling Patterns, and reviews -ild, -old, -ind, -olt, and -ost. Books in Set 5 have 100-110 words.  

Readers should be familiar with the concepts included in Set 1 to Set 5: 

• consonants 

• beginning and end blends 

• short and long vowels 

• digraphs 

• suffixes and ending spelling patterns 

• a /o/ 

• s – /s/ and /z/ 

• VC-CV, V/CV, VC/V, and compound words 

Series Information
Welcome to Cedar School! Join Liv, Tom, Gus, and Bell as they learn on the land and explore Mi’gmaw teachings with their teacher, Miss Sam, and the school’s Mi’gmaw Elder, Jen. With charming illustrations and simple storylines, this decodable series engages students as they practise their reading skills. Each book includes a pre-reading review of non-decodable words, and many of the books introduce special words related to Indigenous teachings. Talking Together prompts facilitate discussions led by the reading teacher. 

Developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada, Cedar School Decodables is a series of 20 decodable books for young readers. Designed for students who have previously learned short vowel and consonant sounds, additional phonic skills are developed progressively throughout the series.

The series will be accompanied by Cedar School Decodables Teacher’s Guide and a series of four picture books, which will be available at a later date.

Additional Information
16 pages | 6.5” x 5.5” | Paperback | ISBN: 978-1-77174-651-9

This book is about a curious kitty who gets to experience her first time sweetgrass picking with her mom.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 6.

Additional Information
28 pages | 9.25" x 7.28" | Paperback

"My son, you do not need black hair, brown skin, or brown eyes like me to pray and practice your culture. You will learn the songs and the drumming in time. The Creator's plan was to give you everything that makes you who you are, and you are perfect to me just the way you are! Always remember that, no matter what anyone else says to you. We need to pray for those children too, my son, as hard as that may seem. But remember, you are exactly how the Creator planned you to be, and I will love you until the end of time."

As a Mi'kmaq child, Richard Pellissier-Lush grew looking different than other the other Indigenous children. He didn't feel he fit in with the non-Indigenous or the Indigenous children he knew. But his mother continually reminding him that he was part of the Creator's plan empowered him to embrace his culture no matter what he looked like. Her chorus of encouragement stayed with him through his childhood and helped make him the man he is today.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 4 to 7.

Additional Information
32 pages | 9.00" x 9.00" | Paperback 

Apli’kmuj, the rabbit, is heading to the gathering—all on his own! His forest friends try to help guide his way, but they must follow their own paths and cannot travel with him. The salmon swims upstream and the owl can fly above the trees, but how will Ali'kmuj get there to perform his dance for all the creatures at the gathering? Maybe the four sacred medicines can help him on his journey!

Apli’kmuj's Journey is a fun and accessible story that describes Mi'kmaq values and vocabulary, and was created to engage Indigenous and non-Indigenous children alike!

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 5 to 8.

This book teaches about the four sacred medicines, sweetgrass, sage, cedar, and tobacco.

Additional Information
36 pages | 10.03" x 8.07" | Paperback 

Set in the community of Listuguj, Gespe'gewa'gi, Nipugtug follows the journey of A'le's (Mi'gmaw for Alice), a young Mi'gmaw woman, snowshoeing through the forest. There, she meets animals, Wapus (Rabbit), Wowgwis (Fox), Tia'm (Moose), Ga'qaquj (Crow) and trees, Masgwi (Birch), Qasgusi (Cedar) who guide her through both challenging and nourishing emotions of learning her Mi'gmaw language. Grounded in her relationship with the territory, A'le's navigates memories of her language that cling to realities within and beyond her life.

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 7 to 11.

Additional Information
21 pages | 9.00" x 9.00" | 4 Illustrations | Paperback

The dual-language edition, in English and Mi'gmaq, of the Silver Birch Express-nominated title, The Train.

Ashley meets her great-uncle by the old train tracks near their community in Nova Scotia. Ashley sees his sadness, and Uncle tells her of the day years ago when he and the other children from their community were told to board the train before being taken to residential school where their lives were changed forever. They weren't allowed to speak Mi'gmaq and were punished if they did. There was no one to give them love and hugs and comfort. Uncle also tells Ashley how happy she and her sister make him. They are what give him hope. Ashley promises to wait with her uncle by the train tracks, in remembrance of what was lost.

Educator Information
This is the dual-language (Mi'gmaq and English) version of The Train.

Recommended for ages 6 to 9.

Additional Information
36 pages | 8.50" x 8.50" | Translated by Joe Wilmot | Hardcover

“I’m waiting for what we lost that day to come back to us.”

Ashley meets her great-uncle by the old train tracks near their community in Nova Scotia. When she sees his sadness, he shares with her the history of those tracks. Uncle tells her that during his childhood the train would bring their community supplies, but there came a day when the train took away with it something much more important. One day he and the other children from the reserve were taken aboard and transported to residential school, where their lives were changed forever. They weren't allowed to speak Mi'gmaq and were punished if they did. Uncle tells her he tried not to be noticed, like a little mouse, and how hard it was not to have the love and hugs and comfort of family. He also tells Ashley how happy she and her sister make him. They are what give him hope. Ashley promises to wait with her uncle as he sits by the tracks, waiting for what was taken from their people to come back to them.

Awards

• Co-winner of Second Story Press's Indigenous Writing Contest in 2018 

Educator Information
Recommended for ages 6 to 9 (grades 1 to 3)

The Train is an intergenerational story of healing from trauma. The legacy of abuse of North America's Indigenous peoples is something that affects all of us, and this book is another important resource to start that conversation with young people.

The Train can be empowering for children whose families and communities have lived through trauma, as they can learn about the history and that they are strong enough to carry that knowledge and be the change we need.

Subjects / Themes: Character Education: Empathy, Family, Friendship; History & Social Studies: Canadian History, First Nations and Indigenous Peoples; Reflecting Diversity. 

This book is available in a dual-language (Mi'gmaq and English) format: Ga's / The Train

Additional Information
32 pages | 8.50" x 8.50" | colour illustrations | picture book